Force-feed lubricator.



A. KIRKHAM.

FORCE `FEED LUBRIGATOR. APPLIoATIoN FILED Nov. 27, 190s. BBNBWED JULY s. 1913.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co..wAsHlNa'roN. D. c.

A. KIRKHAM.

FORGE FEED LUBRIGATOR.

APPLIGATIoN FILED Nov. 27, 190s. nmmwm) JULY s. 1913.

1,0'73,142. Patented sept. 16, -1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

coLuMBn) PLANOURAPH co..wA,sH|Nu'roN. D. t. f

A KIRKHAM v FORGE FEED LUBRIGATOR. APPLIJATION FILED NOV. 27,'1908. RENEWED JULY 8, 1913.

` Patented sept'. 16,1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Co..w^sHlNuTON, D. C.

A. KIRKHAM.

` FORGE FEED LUBRIGATOR.

APPLICATION IILED NOV. 27, 1908. BBNEWED JULY 8. 1913.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

l i. with 'the accompanyingsheets of drawings, y

is aspe'ciiicatio'n. ,l f. .-Theiin'vention relates to lubricators ofthev f type in which theoil is positivelyforced infv sm'all'qua'ntities to theditlerent 'parts offanv engine against the internal vpressureof.steam f in such engine. i Inlthisztype of lubricator "asiusuallyf, heretofore constructed consider- Y able Vdiiiicultyhas been encounteredwhenf never any ofthe lubricating passages or the 'jvalves have' hadvto belv repaired orc'leane'd. -.One'of 'the objectsjof my .presenti inven'y ijf' tio'nfi's'; to -provide a lubricatorA ofthe 'chars' v .acter described :having `the several partsor connections so constructed and .arranged v l that the valves andthe passages yfor *thev Q v: lubricant'mayv be easily cleaned or repaired.- '-1:;,i Another object of theinvention is 'tofprof v ,videlubricator ofthe character describedinvvhich the, lubricantgfonit's Vway through transparent portions ofV its. coursey vwill not adhere to'any part of' said transparent porf .5e tions@ f Y Y -f l y provide improvements .in lubricators of this fff'character which especially enable` itv tombe*Y used to causeV ai Very slight supply of. lubrifV cantateach. impulsel of the engine-with which vthe lubricator, is connected, such small 'whichare fed to the'l cylinderY lat the.` same :time .that the admission ,valves are opened Y for the supply'of'steam tofthe' cylinder.v i. s

l To attain these objects, theiinv'entioncon sists inthe construction and combination lof.'

employed, at kthe ends'. of said cylinder; Y

fjustably mounted in eachtube w-islaplug. 35jV @Further objects'of the invention Vare-'to supply beingelected inthefform of globules lower -end'of a vertical passagegin the" .by anfinclined passagem with-' theflower Afrafeafiedsrt:

'- vertical'sectionof the sight y'feed-tube?V i its'coacting! parts, and illustratesavinodifi# cation-hereinafter referred to.-Fi'g-. '.gjrepfY i; .resents' a section on line ofFi'glj.' 60

Fig.' 8,' represents a horizontal section throughthe base" of the"lubricator.v;.. 4Similar reference characters indicate;thef same :or similar parts in all of. the views. kAV central chamber a i'syprovlidedjinthej65f.f base 0l', anoil reservoirfb beingiprovdedf above said 'central chamber by f means`V ofa Y i fgiasseyiindef 'c ,Whaha momma Viu'pimthe ba`s` e,suitable packng22fbeingpreferably y 70j l The top of the-apparatus is.formedbyfav covere having a removable lid 24by'fme'ans 'l' of which the oil vreservoir mayvbe*rillecl.v Preferably af basket" 25 (see ,dotted lines, Y Fig. 3) is provided in thev cover '-3, said 75,! basket being formedto receivey and retain .any Vsediment depositedlzby the'. in loficant` V-A series of glass .tubes Sf'are mountedlOf-n l `the basev around theucylinde'rV c, packing .1( V y: Abeing interposedy between their lower Yends being interposed 'betweenftheirupper ends and the lowerends 'of'tubes 'w, 'whichare ,1 adjustably mountedinjthe, cover screw-21 for a pendentfwire;`205gthe lower@YV endv or whichwextends into the'nipple .crearg-; ried'by the upper lend cfa plugl7 I prefer.

theconstruction'shown in Fig.4,inwhich af singlewire 20- is employed in each tubegbut 9 0 Y f may-employV al greater numberfof wiresasiindicated'infFigs'.v 6 and; 7,-;in jwhich three i wires 20 depend'fromtheportion'210ofa V'plug 200 mounted the tube y The lower portion of the base 'd isformed' L with yapertures or passages f, f, f-f. best shown by comparing the Vdotted line representation in Fig. 2 with-Fig. 4,;- 'Ilfiere are as many suchpassages asthere'are tubes ASand different parts of the .engine Ytobfe lijibricated@y -Ij-willfproceed to describej'the e A passages which' 'communicatewith'thef'pas# y sage-f. The passage, f connects 'with' thev base, the upper portionof which is connected'f,

-end otanothervertical passage n', thefu'p'-` ffl per portion oiv the latter communicating Vby an'inclined passage u', with an apertureV w vin Vthepplug 17 which connects witli thellQgf` lower end of a vertical passage 'v. in; aidr plug.)` In the passage g. are sphericalfv ves- 3, 3a, in *the passage n are'spherical Vvalves 4, 4a; and in the passage o is a spherical valve 7. (See Fig. 4.) An escape vduct 27 from the passage m has its outer end closed by aV plug 27a (see Figs. 1 and'3).

Connecting with the lower end of the passage n (see Fig. 3) is a horizontal passage p" in theiouter end of which-l is set a screw plug 12, the inner end being formed Aas a barrel and containing a plunger g. rlhe above passages and connections having the prime t) mark as an exponent are duplicated as to the other passages consti.

tuting the entire series of four, said other passages being indicated by the exponents 2 and 3 or by similar letters without exponents. The passages described are all formed in the base and connect with each other in such'manner thatthey are easily formed by means of a drill working from the outside of the base' toward the center,'or in an inclined direction, or from the upper surface downward. Those passages which are drilled in from the outside are closed by stopper screws: it, 7L', h2, 7a3. passages are formed with shoulders to form valve seats, one of said shoulders being indicated at 7c in Fig. 4.

As shown by comparing Figs. 2 and 3, the plungers are arranged in pairs, opposite each other, their inner ends having heads on opposite sides of arms 1 or r depending from a shaft s mounted transversely of the central chamber a, the outer end s of the shaft passing through a gland s2 and being formed to have connected thereto any device by means of which said shaft Vcan be rocked. In practice, the connections will be such that the shaft is rocked at each impulse of the engine, so that each of the plungers will be actuated irstin one direction and then in the other, springs 25,27, t2, t3 being inten posed between the heads at the inner ends of the plungers and the bearings or barrels in which the plungers work. 'Preferably ball bearings 5 are interposed between the plunger heads and the shaft arms. When the shaft rocks in a direction so as to permit either spring to retract a plunger, oil is drawn in behind the plunger, and on the return movement of the shaft the plunger is positively actuated to force the oil toward the part to be lubricated.l Referring to the passages having the referenceletters indicated by a prime mark l(see Figs. 3 and 4), themovement of the plunger g, under the influence of its spring, will draw oil throughpas'sages f', g', m past the cheek valves 3 and 3a. On the return and positive movement of the plunger, the small quantity of oil so drawn in will be forced upwardly through the passage a past the cheek valves 4a and 4, through the` passage u into the passage in the plug 17 and upwardly through the passage fv pastthe check valve rlthe vertical 7. The check valves 7, 4, and 4L prevent any possibility of water being drawn backwardly.

The tops of the vertical passages such as those shown at g', n, are closed by caps 13,

the latter being held down in pairs by a cross piece 14 secured by a central screw 15, and therefore any connected series of said passages can be quickly gained access to for cleaning by removing the screw 15 and lifting the piece 14 and caps 13. This can be done without stopping the operation of the vother portions of the lubricator.

As is usual with this type of lubricator, the glass tubes 8 contain water. The drops of oil forcedV upwardly Vthrough the passages in the plugs 17 simply follow along the wires 20, without liability of Contact :with the inner walls of the glass tubes, and finally escape through thev outlet a', (see Fig.

5), said` outlet having a check valve 12a and connecting with a nipple g/ which in turn will be connected by any suitable pipe to the `part to be lubricated.

By the structure illustrated, a small portion of oil may be admitted to the cylinder of the engine at the same time that steam passes the admission valves thereof, so that at every stroke of the piston a quantity of oil, sufficient to lubricate it for that stroke, may be supplied to the cylinder of the engine. The quantity of oil delivered may be separately regulated and fixed for each feed tube from the lubricator, this being done by means of the adjusting plugs 27a which may be opened more or less to permit some of the oil drawn in by the plunger to be forced baekintoA the central chamber of the lubricator, each duct 27 connecting an inclined passage in the base with the central chamber a. Any one of the ducts 27 may be fully opened by manipulating its screw or plug 27a, in order to allow all the oil discharging vfrom the cylinder by the operation of its piston, to be returned to the central chamber of the lubricator. When all the oil is returned to said central chamber, any one of the glass tubes 8 may be removed for any' purpose desired. Testing, or inspecting, or repairing of Vone set of passages may be performed without interfering with the connections and operation of the other sets of passages by simply removing the caps Y 13. Owing to the pump plungers working hori- Zontally in the lowest partof the oil reservoir, there can be no danger of the oil having air mixed with it by the operation of the plungers.

The nipple e is connected to the hollow plug 17 and the wire 20, which isflXed to the plug 21, enters and projects loosely within said nipple z, thus allowing each globule of oil discharged by the operation of one or the other of the plunger-s of the lubricator, to pass through said nipple .aand around 7 211'7' `SincetheWire 20 enters'a-shortdistance `opportunity "for the globule 1 to lescape f out adhering to the vvire,'.as-Wouldbe the g of theenipple Y A .e Iolaim: v1.fInlubric'ating apparatus` ofl Athe' class Y described, a' central"holderfcomprising lglass openings extending to itsY outer Wall. and 3 having -also substantially verticali/passages intersecting Said openings, valves'f in 4'saidpluugs :closing the outer endsfof said lopen'- f. ings; means for actuatingtheplungers, vand a Yseries 'of sight feed tubes around the central holder.` n f ,Y 1 f '2.2'In lubricating" apparatus of the classv j described, aV base piece having Valved pas-v sages, a shaft mounted infthe base piece, arms on saidzsh'a'ft, plungers mounted in said passages' and 'operatively engaged byY opposite sides ofV said arms, and springs for actuating said'plungers in opposition to'sairdarms.` f

3; A lubricator of the character described, comprising a base havinga 4central chamber, a shaft .extendingtransversely offsaid cen? ltral chamberand, having arms, an ,oillreser-V Voir mounted on the base above said chamber, afseries of tubes .mountedonf the base around saidv reservoir, said base khaving ftheWire 20,7'to Whichitjadheres, followingy Y yup said-Wire, Without contactfvvith th'e'inner Y vvall ofthe glass, untiljitreaches'theplug Y -Withinjefe Opening@ nippiethere 13S no:

' oase ifthe end v,of the Wir'ewere Vabovethe top l 'y "Y, .chamber Withy saidtubes and having also Vbarrels communicating with said passages',

50 said-passages and central lchamberto enable f,

' sides and fa metal base, j the flatter having4V the quantity of feed for each set of passagesy fpassa'ges andl plungersy iniq'saidg openings,-

valved passages connectingitscentral'chambei'l Withv said tubes andfhavingralso barrels, Y communicating With. said passages, plungersf ,K "mounted in said vvbarrels,fand springsmforv hol'dingathe plungers in lContact'aviththe arms of .the shaft.

4, A lubricator of the,ch`aracterldescribed, v comprising agbase having a-central chamber, "i Y lan oil', reservoir mounted on the ba'seaboveV Y said chamber, a series of-tubes mountedon` the basearoundsaid reservoinsaidbase havj ing valved passages connecting its central controllable by-pa'ss a connections between to beregulated, plungers mounted in said barrels, and meansV locatedY ink the said cen y tral chamber foractuating said plungers. Y y 5. A'lubricator of the characterjdescribed, 1 Veomprisingabasehaving a centralchamber, an oil reservoirmounted on the baseabove! said chamber, a series ofl tubesfmountedzon r[the base around said reservoir, said base vhawing Yvalvedl passageslconnectingits cen-f tral chamber With said tubes Vand having also l barrelsv communicatingl with said*passages,v plungersV mounted in saidjbarrels, 1 'em ov'V i 7 able lplugs at the ends of thevalved portions 65 i I i.

of said passages, saidremovable plugs being, l

arranged in pairs,`a single bar bearing-on the two plugs of eachpair, a screw for holding'the said bai-'against the plugs tophold them in place, and means locatedV in the said@` central chamber for actuatingsaid plungers. e e

Inv testimony whereof VI have hereunto aiiiXed my signature in presence of two Wit- V nesses. 'Y

Witnesses SAMUEL HEY, Y* JOHNV WHITEHEAD.

lhvflopixras` of this patent maybe obtained for ive cents eacl1,by addressing the "CommissioneiforV'Iatents. Y Y Y v. vashin'gtcm` :DQ-G,v v 'i rofl 

